Cachexia represents a spectrum through which not all patients will progress. At present there are no robust biomarkers to identify those precachectic patients who are likely to progress further or at the rate at which they will do so. Refractory cachexia is defined essentially on the basis of the patient's clinical characteristics and circumstances.
BMI: body-mass index.
Reproduced from: Fearon K, Strasser F, Anker SD, et al. Definition and classification of cancer cachexia: an international consensus. Lancet Oncol 2011; 12:489. Illustration used with the permission of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
